


Kyoukasuigetsu

by Xweetibird



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Because Kishi doesn't know how to write female characters, Beginning is angst heavy, But it won't be like that the whole time, But not a plot point in the least, Fix-It, Gen, I messed with canon a bit, No Romance, Sakura is Angsty, Sakura trains team 7, Sakuracentric, Time Travel, Well maybe some minor side stuff, kakasaku friendship, kind of, naruto - Freeform, powerful sakura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-10-26 17:18:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17750174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xweetibird/pseuds/Xweetibird
Summary: Sakura took in her surroundings, noting that the room she was in wasn't quite as old as it should be and that the village she was in was a little bit younger than she remembered. But most of all, her blank jade eyes regarded with the slightest amount of annoyance the presence of a one Sandaime Hokage that died 10 years ago.Well, shit.________________First chapter is in past tense, the rest are written in present. Sorry? Originally posted on fanfic.net but I figured why not share it here.





	1. Chapter 1

Sakura Haruno was not an unintelligent woman. No, an unintelligent woman would have tried to protect someone from an attack that was way beyond their level. An unintelligent woman would have jumped in the way.

Unfortunately, Sakura was not an unintelligent woman. 

She was a fucking _idiot._ In fact, those are the exact words that went through her head as she met a chidori meant for her best friend with her chakra-charged fist.  
A complete and total. _fucking. idiot._

And when she awoke in Training Ground Three as she remembered it from 10 years ago (give or take a few months), she mentally confirmed something that she had silently thought many nights on the battlefield.  
_Yep, I’m insane._

As she lay on the ground silently regretting her entire life to that point, she realized that her entire body felt like it had been trampled by Kurama himself. Her head, her arms, her legs, and even her _mind_ hurt. Just as she was about to begin the painstaking and draining process of a full internal medical check, the “oh shit” part of her brain registered the soft _whoosh_ of a shunshin and the shape of a hand coming into her peripherals. Instantly, her mind snapped into the ruthless machine it became during battle; thinking quickly, she moved with a speed only a jounin could hope to see as she rolled herself forwards and to her feet, leapt to the side, and began spinning to execute a ruthless roundhouse kick not unlike Gai’s. When she saw the familiar flash of gravity-defying silver hair, however, it took all of her battle-hardened years as a killing machine not to literally scream something along the lines of “What the FUCK is going on?!” Unfortunately, she had already made her move, and Kakashi had most likely registered her as a threat. She pulled her kick back, wincing and nearly falling as her body started to pulse in pain and her world started to spin. Briefly, she met Kakashi’s eyes, seeing in them the same confusion that was most likely reflected in her own unsteady gaze. Kakashi, taking her momentary pain and confusion as an invitation, was on her in a second, a flurry of blows aimed to incapacitate her.  
Sakura’s vision was beginning to blur and spin, but her instincts wouldn’t let her stop. Through her confusion and slight fear at what was happening- she was fighting her one of her _dead best friends_ \- her muscles moved with a mind of their own. Her arms came up, sluggishly blocking Kakashi’s blur of blows. The only thing going through Sakura’s head was is this even happening right now?! When she looked up and met Kakashi’s gaze once more, her mind just couldn’t take it anymore. 

*************************************************************************************************

When Kakashi went to the Memorial stone, he wasn’t expecting to fight a random kunoichi who seemed to be battling her own mind more than she was battling him. He also hadn’t expected her to clutch her head and scream in pain before passing out, but stranger things have happened, he supposed.  
It was certainly something to say at her own skill, as her mind was clearly addled with confusion yet she still blocked his blows without a hitch. His sharingan eye was opened under his mask, reading the confusion on the girl’s face. She was clearly not mentally present, but her insane speed and the roundhouse kick ( _that looked suspiciously like Gai’s,_ his mind supplied) that was laden with enough power to probably knock his head clean off were still replaying in his mind. She had pulled back rather than completing that kick; clearly, she didn’t want to harm him. He didn’t miss the immediate flash of pain she seemed to have, and he was going to use that opportunity to knock her unconscious and take her straight to Inoichi, but her battle-honed reflexes were getting in the way of his blows. When she looked up at him, well, that led to his current predicament. A passed-out, mysterious kunoichi, who now that he looked closer looked quite a lot like the genin girl he had just been assigned earlier that day. His original plan was to subdue her and take her to Inoichi, but now it looked like Inoichi would have to come to her. Sighing, Kakashi picked her up and body flickered to the Hokage’s office, gingerly placing her on a couch near the back. At the Sandaime’s raised brow, he explained everything that happened, and immediately summoned one of his ninken to fetch the former head of T&I. Roughly running a hand through his silver hair, the ex-Anbu had only one thought sitting idly in his mind.

_For once, can I_ not _be the epicenter of the insane situations in this village?_


	2. Chapter One - Flowers Reflected on a Pond's Surface

Her eyes gently flutter open.

 

As the blackness lifts, Sakura takes in her surroundings, noting that the room she was in isn't quite as old as it should be and that the village she’s in is a little bit younger than she remembers. But most of all, her blank jade eyes regard with the slightest amount of annoyance the presence of a one Sandaime Hokage that died 10 years ago. 

_ Well, shit.  _

 

She gently stirs from the couch  _ (thank you Kakashi,  _ she thinks, eyes flickering to his form in the corner), head pounding. She feels like she just woke from too long of a night with Tsunade, drinking far too much sake. Sometimes to remember. Sometimes to forget. 

 

Putting aside her distracting thoughts, she once again directs her gaze to the sandaime, taking in his imposing, yet gentle, presence. Slowly her eyes trail to the right, meeting the gaze of a suspicious Kakashi. She puts her throbbing head in her hands and mutters a soft “God, just kill me now, please”. 

“Those are some interesting first words,” Kakashi remarks.

The familiar voice hits her like a truck and she grips her hair. A wave of emotions hits her - she doesn’t know whether to laugh, scream, or cry. Filing away her death wish, she realizes that she may have genuinely gone insane and that she just doesn’t care what they think anymore. If they decide she’s insane, they’ll just kill her anyways, no loss for her - but she feels compelled to ask. 

“Is any of this even real?” she asks with a scoff, wary and bitter and tired. She’s been in enough genjutsu to tell the difference, but with people like Madara in the world, you can never be certain. And maybe she’d rather it be a dream, because she really  _ doesn’t want to deal with this shit. _

“As real as anything,” the wizened voice of the Third cuts through the room, ending her train of thought. “Kakashi here found you by the Memorial Stone, and the two of you shared a rather… interesting encounter.” 

Sakura hears the door creak, dimly registers that Inoichi is now in the room and  _ damn _ if that isn’t another emotional overload. As she struggles to grasp the concept that she has literally travelled back in time, the Sandaime explains why Inoichi is present. He is to sift through her memories like a filing cabinet, discover if she’s a threat, and eliminate the threat if needed. 

She blinks, silently wishes Inoichi luck navigating through her trainwreck of a mind, and agrees to the restraints they bring forward as they explain why they’re asking her to comply. 

“All too often,” Inoichi began, “battle-experienced shinobi have lashed out immediately upon the foreign presence entering their mindscape.”

Sakura’s eyes immediately darken. She knows all too well what it feels like to have your mind penetrated and torn through like an old and worthless encyclopedia of facts. 

If the others notice her shift, if any of them find it curious - they don’t say anything. 

 

Once the restraints are secure, and her movements sufficiently suppressed, Inoichi steps forward. He presses his palm against her forehead, takes a deep breath, and begins. 

Sakura bites back a gasp, fights against her instinctive urge to slam down her hard-kept mental walls, and lets Inoichi enter her mindscape. Soon enough, both her and Inoichi are standing in a field of cherry blossoms, pastel colors softly glowing and reflecting the hazy lights. 

“I suppose I should introduce you to my mindscape, but I know you can recognize one when you see it. Come this way,” she says, leading him deeper in. “I have no idea where to start, so I’ll just ask you now. What would you like to know?”

Inoichi thinks for a moment, regarding the question and the woman in front of him with curiosity. 

“Most people can’t do… well, this. How do you have such practiced control over your mindscape?” he asks, genuine curiosity in his gaze. 

Suddenly, the entire area went as black as a void, not a second later lit up by blood-red eyes. The sound of cackling and maniacal laughter echoes through the empty space, followed by a blood-curdling female scream. Blood splatters through a field of cherry blossoms. Not half a second later, the peaceful and hazy field returns, that memory locked down in chains and filed away in a distant corner. Still lingering.

Mindscapes are strange. 

Inoichi’s thoughts are flying at a thousand miles an hour. That half-second told him a great deal - one, the woman in front of him is no stranger to darkness, and the laughter she had faced sent chills down his spine and set his teeth on edge. Two, she has immense control over her mental state. Not often do you see a shinobi that can shut down a flashback (for that’s what it was, but they can tackle that later) in less than a second. Still reeling from the intense emotion of her episode, Inoichi looks up and meets Sakura’s eyes. They’re harder now, eyebrows furrowed. The memory is still on her mind, but she’s tamed it. It’s no longer running wild. Understanding passes through their connected gaze, and when she turns and walks deeper into the recesses of her mind, Inoichi follows without a word.

“Where would you like to begin?” Sakura asks, ignoring the tenseness in the air as her steps left subtle ripples through her own grassy field. 

Inoichi considers the woman in front of him as she walks, seemingly aimlessly across the expanses of her own memories.

“Who are you?” he asks, after careful consideration. Start simple. Well, he thought it would be, at least.

 

The hazy pastels of the field fade into a burning and bright spring day. The streets of Konoha buzz in the distance, unheard over the gentle, cool breeze of the rooftop. The scene unfolds as Inoichi registers what is  _ definitely _ Kakashi, and  _ is that Naruto and Sasuke? _

Inoichi’s thoughts are interrupted as Kakashi begins, asking in his typical lazy drawl for his new students  _ (shit) _ to introduce themselves. 

“I’m Sakura Haruno!” a cheery, high pitched, and innocent voice chirps out. Inoichi recognizes the voice as the owner of this memory, and looks over to the shinobi beside him. Sakura nods, answering his unasked question, and the memory dissolves into the distance.

Inoichi knows that wasn’t a fake memory. Everything was too precise, too  _ real _ . The details weren’t unrealistically sharp or completely nonexistent, and the sheer amount of experience he holds allow him to be sure in his conclusion.

The woman before him is undeniably showing him the truth. 

Sakura gives him a few moments to collect himself as she watches the realization dawn on his countenance, her mouth set in a grim line.

Inoichi turns yet again, fighting to slow the racing train of his thoughts, and asks her yet another question. 

“How did you even get back here?” are the words that leave his lips, cautious and composed.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Sakura answers honestly, a lighter tone carrying her words through the space between them.

 

Again, cackling laughter shrieks through the air, Sakura’s roar of rage heard over the sound of blood rushing through her ears, and a blinding flash of light.

 

Sakura grimaces and her right hand goes up to cradle her head. 

“It’s … complicated,” she says, massaging her temple before slowly lowering her hand to her hip and shifting her weight to one foot.

 

Inoichi takes in her face. It’s the same face he’s seen from clients from the deepest parts of the battlefield, the ones who have survived and often wished they hadn’t. Who had seen too much death, even for someone in their line of work. Who had killed too much, lived too little, survived too harshly. But there is still fire in those eyes, humor in the set of her posture, and wit in her sarcastic remarks. Whoever she is, he had crossed “enemy” off of the list of potentials about thirty seconds into their mind-walk. She proudly displays the Konoha headband, she was (is?) Kakashi’s student - her memories are too real to be fake. 

 

After a few seconds of stinted silence, Sakura clears her throat and speaks up. 

“So, anything else you need to know, or can we get back to the office and explain this utter trainwreck to the Sandaime?” 

 

Inoichi grins subtly and lets out a soft chuckle. All too quickly, the two of them are wrenched from her mind and thrown back into the real world; Inoichi stumbling backwards, and Sakura unceremoniously tipping to the side; abruptly adjusting her right leg to support her sudden shift she shakes her head to clear her vision. 

 

In her peripheral, she sees Kakashi twitch in her general direction, ready to support her if needed - and she smirks fondly at the gesture; even if he was doing it out of habit, and due to the fact that Inoichi wasn’t reacting as if she was a threat - it was comforting all the same. 

 

After giving the room a few moments to settle, the Sandaime finally clears his throat ceremoniously. 

“Well, Inoichi? What’s the verdict?” 

 

Sakura laughs, tossing a glance towards Inoichi on her left.

“Good luck with this one,” she says, humor glittering in her eyes as both Kakashi’s and the Sandaime’s reflect confusion. 

 

“Let’s start with the basics, shall we?” the Sandaime suggests, glancing curiously between Inoichi and the woman in front of him. “Report.” 

Immediately, Inoichi’s posture straightens at the authoritative tone of the Hokage.

 

“She isn’t a threat. I left before I could gauge her skill level, so field testing will be required. Now, as for her identity, I’m afraid that’s… complicated,” he slows down in his speech, eyes flickering towards Kakashi before connecting with Sakura’s own. She nods slowly, turning to face her old teacher as he regarded the both of them curiously. 

 

Sakura hardly spares the Hokage a glance, wanting to tell Kakashi personally.

She takes a deep breath, steels herself, and opens her mouth. 

 

“I’m Sakura Haruno, formerly of Team Seven of Konoha. I’m twenty-one years old, rank Jounin, and I’m from the future.” 

 

Sakura watches as Kakashi processes the information, his eyes going from wary, to confused, to resigned acceptance, to amusement.

“It’s only been a day and my team is already blowing my mind,” he says with a long-suffering sigh, eye crinkling up into a smile. “Looks like you didn’t all die within your first C-Rank after all,” he jokes, face smoothing back into a nonchalant facade. 

Sakura’s eyes yet again flash with something akin to bitterness, as she mutters “maybe it would’ve been better if we had” before she stops, squints, and says “actually, we kind of almost did”, immediately sending Kakashi into a fit of laughter as he tactfully ignored the first part of her statement.

Sakura cracks a fond smile, relishing a sound she thought she’d never hear again, before the moment is interrupted by the Hokage.

“Not to cut any potential reunions short,” he starts, “but we need to talk about what this implies for everyone.” 

Immediately, the mood shifts yet again - reality hitting Sakura in the face. Sighing, she rests one hand against her temple, restraints having dissolved after Inoichi discerned she wasn’t a threat. 

“I don’t even know where to begin, honestly,” she stats bluntly, tacking on a ‘how many more fucking times am I going to say that today’ under her breath. 

“Well, how about this - is there any direct threat to Konoha in the near future?” the Sandaime asks, tone serious.

Surprising everyone, Sakura barks out a harsh laugh, dissolving into a coughing mess.The other occupants of the room look on in mild concern; they all recognize the laugh without humor and are instantly on edge. Noting Sakura’s mental distress, Kakashi inches closer to the couch.

“What even is the date,” Sakura asks as she calms down, hand on her temple, eyes searching for any sign of a calendar. 

“Your team assignment date,” Kakashi offers, gazing at his student with a mix of curiosity and concern. 

Sakura’s face immediately reddens as she remembers her team introduction. “Please, disregard anything I said on that rooftop, oh my god,” she says in embarrassment, making Kakashi smirk and offer an unhelpful “it was rather _interesting_ ”. Sakura quickly adds another item to her ‘reasons I wish I could fade into the ether’ list, scrunching up her face in a grimace.

Again, the Sandaime coughs, somewhat amused, but ready to turn back to the serious matter at hand. 

“How about you start with the most recent threat.”

Sakura pauses and considers. “Well, really, it’s all one huge “big picture” image. Unfortunately, I really doesn’t know what’s more important - the “big picture” itself and its inevitability or the specific events that led to the making of it,” she finishes. Despite her knowledge that being completely blunt is key in this conversation, it doesn’t make it any easier to begin it.

As if reading her mind, Kakashi speaks up. 

“Perhaps we can ask you questions that we deem important,” he begins, “and you can fill in any missing information that you deem relevant.” 

It isn’t the cleanest course of action, but then again, this isn’t exactly a common situation, so they have to make do with what they get. 

Graciously, Sakura agrees with his suggestion. Sakura has halfway accepted the reality at this point, putting her emotional protests on hold, but she can feel the beginnings of a physical post-adrenaline crash. Sakura knows this is a critical moment, and she isn’t going to let herself faint now; despite her knowledge of her chakra exhaustion and need for rest, she begins circulating medical chakra throughout her body. Her mind is already clouding over, but they need to get the important and immediate information in the open before she allows herself to rest.

“To begin, how long do we have to prepare for any possible threats?” the Sandaime suggests, eyes serious and hard. 

Sakura thinks for only a moment, the answer becoming crystal clear to her almost instantly. 

“The upcoming Chuunin exams is when the danger starts. Everything goes downhill from there - unfortunately, the events leading up to the specific incidents have already been put in place; even if we could do anything to stop it, given relevant information and the changes it made, I would go so far as to say it wouldn’t be beneficial to Konoha as a whole to prevent the initial… thing,” she finishes ineloquently. Dropping her professionalism, she bit out some things that sounded suspiciously like “This is fucking difficult” and “On Amaterasu this is almost harder than living _through_ the goddamned past”, making Kakashi snicker and Inoichi clear his throat; the corner of his mouth conspicuously twitching upwards.

“Really there’s not much way to explain it other than going into detail, which leads into the smaller events leading up to it, which leads into the context of the situation, which is a whole explanation back to the Warring States period,” she elaborates in mild frustration, trying to convey how complex the situation was. 

“Although,” she says quietly, regaining her professionalism, “I suppose we could start by talking about Orochimaru.” 

Immediately the room goes silent. The Hokage sits suspiciously straight in his chair, Kakashi and Inoichi’s eyes narrowing though they stare adamantly at the wall. 

“What about him?” Inoichi asks in a false flat tone, eyes flickering to Sarutobi. 

Sakura briefly remembers that the Sandaime is to blame for Orochimaru still being alive at this time, quickly deducing that his “accidental” mistake is still a tense topic of discussion. Judging from Inoichi and Kakashi’s stiff reactions, shinobi are still on guard, and blame Sarutobi for the ordeal. She looks to the Sandaime, briefly annoyed because _she_ didn’t falter against _her_ own teammate, her _brother_ , and even if it hadn’t worked, _she_ had went for the killing blow when the opportunity presented itself even when she was clinging to the past. 

__

__

Maybe she needs to shut down her petty and hurt thoughts before she drudges up that age-old wound and acts like a ten-year-old. 

The air in the room hangs thick and heavy, the suffocating atmosphere making the shinobi tense. _Well, I can’t do anything about that,_ she thinks to herself. _And, maybe, he deserves it,_ she continues, bitterness taking hold for just a moment. Shutting down her noisy mind, Sakura moves on.

“He has his own village, and he’s going to attack Konoha, along with the forces of Suna. He makes his initial move during the second phase of the chuunin exams, where he infiltrates the forest of death and attacks Team Seven.” 

Kakashi stiffens, eyes shifting towards Sakura; genin against a Sannin should be dead. 

Sakura allows time for the information to set in, giving them ample time to adjust. As she waits, her vision briefly starts to swim and she tips imperceptibly, catching herself immediately - but Kakashi notices. His eyes sharpen. 

“What does he want from Konoha?” Inoichi finally asks, breaking the silence. 

Sakura’s face immediately scrunches in disgust, chakra darkening and eyes glinting like fire. 

“Uchiha Sasuke,” she spits out, with such heavy animosity that those in the room nearly flinch. Kakashi thinks back to his team from this morning, when Sakura was fawning over the boy. 

“What about him?” he asks tentatively, as the Sandaime puts a hand over his eyes and mutters.

“Of course. He wants his Sharingan, doesn’t he,” the Third asks heavily, breathing out a sigh. 

Sakura’s eyes darken once more into a steely cold jade, again making Kakashi both worried and curious; Inoichi notices the subtle shifts in her body language as the mention of the bloodline limit sends her into a stiff posture and a cold rage. Silently, he thinks of the shrieking laughter, blood, and the cold screams. 

“Is he-” he starts, unable to stop himself. Sakura looks up and meets his eyes. Eyes weary, she nods.

“Is there anything the rest of us need to know?” The Sandaime asks, eyes catching Sakura’s with a brief stubbornness, disregarding her clear wish to not answer. 

Sakura exhales, her posture slightly tipping again. Kakashi activates his sharingan under his mask. 

As Sakura regains herself and moves to answer, Kakashi cuts in. 

“I believe what we all need to know,” he begins in (partially) false anger, “is that Sakura has been channeling medical chakra for what I would guess is the better part of this conversation, despite her need to rest. We can continue this conversation later. From what she says, we have at least until the Chuunin exams, which means there’s plenty of time to allow her to recover.”

Sakura blinks in thanks, not at all surprised that he noticed her distress. 

It would be impossible not to. The Sandaime and Inoichi startle as they really take in her current appearance. 

She is tilting slightly, her eyes now reduced to a tired and foggy expression; she looks as if she’s going to fall over at any moment. 

“Right,” Sarutobi begins, clearing his throat. “Where should we have you stay? Next to your younger self, perhaps? A henge may be required, or at least a change of hair color. Your specific look is quite… distinctive,” he finishes thoughtfully. 

Sakura shudders at the idea of living next to not only her parents, who she’d rather not know she exists, but also next to her younger, inquisitive self. Not that she would figure out her true identity, but Sakura can only handle so much cringe at once. Well, that, and she doesn’t know if she can handle the constant reminder of how life used to be.

“I’d really rather not live next to myself or my family,” she states plainly. “I can change my hair color with a henge. I’d be able to maintain it, so that won’t be an issue.” 

Quickly, without the usage of seals, her pink hair shifts to a deep, reddish black color. She sways slightly, tips forward, catches herself again by shifting her weight to her front leg. As she shakes her head, Kakashi finally speaks up again. 

“The apartment next to mine just cleared. You can live there,” he offers, carefully gauging her response.

Sakura stops, still looking down, head reeling. Could she handle that? 

She remembers long nights on the battlefield, long nights drenched in each other’s blood after fighting nonstop, late nights wondering what would come to be of the world. Silent nights spent in companionable silence. Fearful nights, each wondering if the other would make it till morning as they treated each other’s wounds. 

Kakashi is--was-- her brother. Her comrade, her comfort, her teacher, her reassurance that she wasn’t insane. Naruto as well, but he was often forced to be somewhere else on the battlefield, somewhere else in the village, somewhere else in their lives. 

This Kakashi, she reminds herself, carefully keeping her breathing measured, isn’t the same Kakashi. She doesn’t know if their relationship will be able to be the same in this version of events. For all intents and purposes, she’ll be living next to a dead man. Or, rather, she will be living next to a man who looks like Kakashi, and _her_ Kakashi is dead.

But, she thinks, still perusing through memories of wartime, it _is_ the same Kakashi. She can do this. She’s got a second chance, and she won’t bitch about it; she’ll take it for all its worth. Finally, after what felt like an eternity for the other three in the room, she speaks.

“I’ll take it.” 

Kakashi relaxes imperceptibly as the Sandaime begins fishing for the appropriate documents. 

“When do you expect to be fully recovered?” 

Sakura turns to the Sandaime, pondering his question. She does a quick internal check - her arm is a bit sore from a quickly healed break not two days ago, and she’s exhausted, but she has no real relevant injuries. 

“Two days, give or take,” She says, not wanting to commit. She has no idea what this time travel may have taken out of her.

“As soon as you feel well enough, report back here with Kakashi. We can discuss things further from there.” 

Sakura nods in agreement, slowly forcing herself to stand, despite her limbs feeling like lead.

Once everything is said and done, Kakashi offers to show her the way. 

“I know where it is,” she says on reflex, making Kakashi raise an eyebrow. 

“We’ve spent a lot of time in that apartment,” she clarifies. “Mine was destroyed and I had to stay with you briefly,” she rectifies once again after realizing that Kakashi was eyeing her very suspiciously - she could practically hear his mind asking ‘am I a fucking cradle robber in the future?’

She giggles at the thought. Perhaps this time around, he wouldn’t die. She would make sure of it. Konoha wouldn’t die, Kakashi wouldn’t die, Ino wouldn’t die, Tsunade - no one. 

This time, it will be different. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovelies! Xweeti here. As I said before, this has already been posted on Fanfiction.net - however, I am combining some chapters and editing a few things.  
> I have no beta reader and I'm in no way a professional writer (shit, I'd barely consider myself a passable one, but as long as the idea gets across that's fine with me), but I hope you all can find some enjoyment in this little story! 
> 
> And for anyone worried about the angst content - the angst will die down. Right now Sakura is just tired and confused and honestly, she's just been sent to the past from a world almost beyond repair, we can give the girl a break.  
> I'd say it keeps up for the next few chapters but after that its much more plot focused (Although angst will still be present because I love writing angst and hurt/comfort and its very therapeutic, so there!).  
> Love you all!
> 
> -Xweeti


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi steps out of the apartment, secure in the knowledge that the woman inside is properly settled and will most likely be asleep within the next twenty minutes. Taking brisk steps forward and out into the village, he allows his mind to roam freely over the many revelations of the past few hours.

Firstly, his mind lingers on the thought that this young woman, his  _ student,  _ has travelled through time and into the past. Not only is that utterly incomprehensible - and he does feel a thrum of pride for the youngest on his team - but the fact remains that Sakura was born with neither the innate chakra levels of a Jinchuuriki  _ or _ the Uchiha power. For his most nondescript student to evolve in this way quite surprised him; that, and it makes him wonder what Naruto and Sasuke became. 

_ And speaking of Sasuke,  _ he thinks, passing through the innocent streets of Konoha,  _ her response to the very mention of him is worrying. _ The Sandaime has entrusted him with Team Seven because he believes that Kakashi could stop him from seeking revenge. Had he failed? What happened in their lives to make her react to him in such a way? 

He doesn’t know, and it bothers him more than he would like to admit. 

For now, however, he has a bell test to prepare for; not only does he have to think about future events (and isn’t that stressful), he has to mentally prepare for teaching his Sensei’s son. 

 

Idly, Kakashi realizes that his steps have once again led him to the memorial stone. He knows that one day he should stop mourning, move on with his life - but today, that can wait. 

  
  


* * *

 

Sakura peers at the door her teacher left through scarcely a moment ago, giving her mind another chance to accept her current reality. 

Now that she’s alone, her status in the village somewhat established, the gravity of her situation hits her like a wave. She doesn’t panic, she doesn’t break down; she simply sits on her new bed and sighs. She’s dealt with enough in her lifetime that she knows she can deal with this.

Still, the thoughts of Naruto, Kakashi, Ino - everyone, hang over her like a fog. Her friends are functionally dead. The Rookie Nine she knew are now gone forever, their personalities, their personal journeys, all erased within moments. 

However, they still exist within her. Their memories live on through her, and using that knowledge, the knowledge of her friends - she can build an even better future for them. She can teach them, train them,  _ save _ them. She’ll make sure of it.

 

Silently locking away her feelings on her friends, and determined to create a better future, Sakura allows herself to drift off into sleep. 

* * *

 

_ Who the hell invented sunlight _ may not be a common first thought upon waking up, but as Sakura’s eyes flutter open, the bright morning sun reflecting through her window like a signal mirror, she can’t help but feel as if she’s been struck blind.

Quickly, she blocks the sun’s rays with her right hand, her left tossing aside her blankets as her legs swing over the side of the bed. 

It’s really amazing what a day of rest can do, Sakura thinks, as her legs hardly complain even when she stands and begins walking to her flat’s little excuse for a kitchen. Grudgingly, she eyes the empty shelves and checks the barren cabinets, silently cursing the fact that ninjutsu can make you travel through  _ time  _ but it can’t do something as simple as materialize food. Turning her head away from the dismal emptiness of the kitchen, she checks for a clock; the time reads ten thirty AM and the date as two days from her arrival.

_ Out for two days, huh,  _ she notes, understanding now why her body feels so much lighter and her mind so much clearer. Ignoring the growling in her stomach, she quickly starts a shower, relishing in the fact that it’s probably the first real one she’s had in weeks. Battlefields don’t exactly make for prime bathing grounds. She lets the water cascade down her back, soothing the faint remnants of stiffness; however, she has a Hokage and an old sensei to speak with. Briefly turning the water to scalding, she readies herself before turning the water off completely. Just as she begins to step into her old and grimy clothing, she notes that someone has left a sleeveless black turtleneck and grey sweatpants, along with what she guesses are gloves packed underneath the pile of clothes. 

Unfortunately it seems that her gift fairy forgot that she needed to  _ eat _ , but she’s survived on soldier pills for much longer periods of time, anyways. After slipping into her new clothes, crunching a soldier pill between her teeth, and sliding on her boots, she finally makes for the Hokage’s office.

 

Opening the door to her apartment and walking into Konoha to breathe the crisp fresh air, Sakura realizes that this simple action is something she has sorely missed. On the battlefield, the smell of smoke and blood had settled into the earth as if seared into it. Not to mention that Konoha didn’t even exist anymore - merely seeing people stroll along the streets and browse through shops was surreal. Konoha is alive and thrumming with life, even if a little too lazy and comfortable for her liking; their relaxed mindset and confidence in their own peaceful status alone had been the cause of many preventable deaths. 

 

Amidst the normal bustle of the village, a sharp, childish cry startles her from her train of thought. Head snapping to the source of the sound, she finds a little girl with blonde hair and deep brown eyes holding her knee, which was scraped quite badly and bleeding freely. She briskly walks over to the scene, eyes absently flickering to a rock that the girl must have tripped on. Gently, Sakura crouches down in front of the girl, lightly placing her own hands over smaller, much softer ones. Her eyes soften in sympathy. 

“Can I help?” she asks, gazing sincerely into the little girl’s rich almond eyes. “I know a ninja trick that can patch you up right away,” she says sweetly, grasping the girls hands even tighter, inclining her head with a smile. 

Surprised by the presence of the grown woman before her, the little girl nods silently, removing one hand from Sakura’s grasp and pointing at her skinned knee. 

“It hurts right here,” she sniffles out quietly, bottom lip quivering. Once she catches the bright green light of medical chakra, however, all traces of hurt fade into an excited and fascinated curiosity. 

“Miss, what’s that?” she asks brightly, eyes glittering.

“This is called ‘medical ninjutsu’,” Sakura explains, “it can heal all sorts of injuries! These sorts of scratches are no problem at all,” she says encouragingly, watching as the girl’s face breaks into a wide smile. 

“Can it heal  _ anything _ ?” the blonde asks innocently, eyes alight with childlike wonder. 

Briefly, Sakura’s mind flickers back, recalling her first brush with death as she held her nearly severed body together with nothing but medical chakra and sheer force of will. 

Carefully plastering a smile onto her face, she pulls her hands away as the skin finishes stitching itself together. 

“I don’t know about that,” she says, faking disappointment as she helps the girl stand; tossing her hair back and striking a pose, confidently adding “but I definitely can!”, sending the girl into awestruck admiration. 

Inwardly, Sakura smiles; little children are so easily impressed and amused, and she missed that innocent element of Konoha. 

 

Bidding the child goodbye, Sakura turns once again to the streets of Konoha, resuming her trek towards the Hokage’s office. 

 

Before she had made it two steps, a low, cool voice calls out from beside her as a flash of silver enters her peripherals. 

“So you became a medical ninja?” the copy-nin asks, sliding into step beside her.

 

“Of a sort,” she replies. “Technically I was a frontline shinobi, but I had also mastered medical ninjutsu under Tsunade,” she continus, glancing sidelong at her new travelling companion. 

 

Kakashi doesn’t miss the implications of ‘frontline shinobi’.  _ There was a war, then,  _ he implies, mind heavy with the implications of such a thing.

 

“What about Naruto?” Kakashi asks innocently, his eyes not missing the immediate flash of an unidentifiable something that briefly entered Sakura’s own.

 

“I suppose you could say he fulfilled his dream, in a way,” she says cryptically, face twisted as she tries to find the right words. Technically, Naruto  _ had  _ become Hokage, but the village was destroyed shortly after, reduced into the next bloody battlefield.

Before Kakashi could question her further, she mutters a quick ‘We’re quite close to the tower’; a clear and clumsy redirect of the conversation but one that Kakashi accepts nonetheless, confident in the knowledge that she will open up when she sees fit.

 

They fall into a companionable silence, Sakura drinking in the sights of a fully-intact Konoha without the strain of wartime, and Kakashi reading his precious novel while sneaking subtle glances to gauge his (past? present?) student’s reactions to various sights and people while considering the woman beside him.

To him, she seems withdrawn. Two days ago when she had first arrived, she seemed for all the world as someone on the edge of losing their mind; that had concerned him, but as he notes the soft smile playing on her lips and the gentle wistfulness of her expression, he marks it down to exhaustion and possibly a temporary emotional overload. Still, the girl he saw in the Hokage’s office worried him. Such aspects of one’s personality don’t just come and go based on mood; that cynicism and weariness is still there. However, as he thinks back to her brief interaction with the civilian girl, he finds himself somewhat reassured. There’s still kindness and playfulness, and a subtle gentleness and willing to help others - there’s still hope hidden in her jaded eyes. 

 

Before he knows it, the two of them find themselves at the foot of the Hokage Tower. 

 

“Well, let’s get this over with, I suppose,” Sakura says somewhat timidly, eyes briefly flashing with trepidation before steeling over with something Kakashi thinks is akin to resolve. 

 

Quickly stepping forward, the two find themselves in Sarutobi’s office via shunshin, immediately standing to attention. 

 

“Hokage-sama, I’ve fully recovered and therefore am of a sound state to answer any and all questions you deem fit,” Sakura begins, speaking professionally in an open tone. “I’m ready to begin at any time.” 

 

Sarutobi - having already sent his Anbu guards away upon the arrival of the teacher-student duo - nods solemnly, activating the privacy seals. Briefly his gaze is cast to Kakashi, trying to feel for his attitude towards the current situation; however, he remains unreadable as always.

 

“Very well,” the Third states, his aged voice cutting through the silence. “Have a seat and we may begin.”

 

As Kakashi and Sakura settle, the former on a rickety chair and the other perched on a stool, the Sandaime begins the question and answer session. 

 

“You mentioned the Chuunin exams, and Orochimaru’s return,” he begins, face stony and impassive as he mentions his former student. “What, specifically, were the ultimate outcomes of these events?”

 

Sakura pauses as she mulls over the question, making a mental list of the important events resulting from the Konoha Crush.

 

“Ultimately, the biggest resulting factors would be an alliance with Sunagakure, the snake’s unfortunate usage of seals on both Naruto and the Uchiha, and your death, Hokage-sama.”

Her words briefly hang in the air as the other two occupants of the room digest the information they’ve been given, the Sandaime looking remarkably unfazed at the prospect of his own death. 

After giving them a moment to recover, Sakura continues. 

“The alliance with Sunagakure became vital to us in the future, though an alliance could be conceivably forged in other ways. Both Naruto and the Uchiha were changed as a direct result of Orochimaru’s sealing, in different ways; these factors need to be avoided at all costs,  _ especially Uchiha Sasuke’s sealing,”  _ she bites out between clenched teeth. Knowing that this time’s Sasuke and her time’s Sasuke are different doesn’t make it an easier pill to swallow, her mind struggling to separate ‘ruthless murderer, personal torturer’ from ‘fresh genin’.

 

Kakashi’s mind becomes thick with unease. The way Sakura speaks of Sasuke is definitely hostile in nature, and that would be putting it lightly. What precisely happened between them? Just as Kakashi was going to ask - he  _ needs  _ to know, Sakura cuts him off with a knowing stare. 

 

“You don’t need to know,” she says icily. However, her eyes betray an undercurrent of worry; Kakashi, taken aback by the frigidity of her words, is left wondering why she would direct such an emotion at him. Nevertheless, he concedes the battle of wills with a glance towards the Hokage, who tactfully sets the conversation back on track.

“As for my death,” he intones blankly, “what was the result of that? Should we avoid it, or let it happen?” 

 

Sakura blinks at the unexpected resolve in the Sandaime’s tone, tilting her head curiously. 

_ Then again, _ she thinks,  _ it’s typical of the Hokage to give their life for the village, isn’t it?  _

Shaking the thought from her mind, she speaks bluntly.

“I don’t know whether or not your death was ultimately conducive or detrimental towards Konoha’s future as a whole. All I know is what resulted from it; that is, Tsunade becoming Hokage, and Orochimaru losing his ability to perform any ninjutsu whatsoever. You sealed away his arms with the Reaper Death Seal, which ultimately bought Konoha  _ time _ . However, your death was also a significant loss in  _ stability _ ,” she states, gesturing with her hands to emphasize the two factors. Taking a breath, she continues, “Ultimately, I can’t say what’s more important; though I can say that with the added time, we had the flexibility to become more stable on our own, yet without the initial stability, we remained fairly scattered all the way until Konoha’s first destruction,” she finishes, mouth slightly dry after her lengthy description of the aftereffects. 

 

Unfortunately, she didn’t quite understand why Kakashi and Sarutobi were staring at her with widened, somewhat shocked eyes - that is, until the Hokage finally speaks up. 

“The  _ first destruction  _ of Konoha?” he breathes, eyebrows furrowing in worry as Kakashi looks on silently. 

 

Sighing, Sakura pinches the bridge of her nose with her fingers, having forgotten that they had no way of knowing Konoha was destroyed in the first place and how relatively small it was in the grander scheme of things. 

“Yes, the first destruction,” she sighs wearily, yet again feeling the magnitude of the ‘big picture’ and its complexity threatening to overwhelm her.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but ultimately it was a small stepping stone for bigger disasters on the way,” she says finally, eyes still closed and hand rubbing her temple in frustration. “Let’s just focus on the current matter at hand,” she says with an air of finality, effectively allowing no more questions to be asked on the matter. “We can discuss this  _ later. _ ”

 

“Very well,” the Hokage condedes, albeit reluctantly. “I do have one question, however,” he continues, hooking his fingers together under his chin. 

“You said that Team Seven was attacked by Orochimaru himself. Not as any doubt on your current personal ability, but how did three genin survive against him?”

 

Sakura’s eyebrows furrow as she allows herself to think back on a time she hasn’t thought of in years. 

Truly, the three of them should’ve died then and there; it was pure luck that Naruto appeared when he did, convincing Sasuke to fight, thus piquing Orochimaru’s interest. In fact, it’s a wonder Sasuke survived the sealing - although with the Uchiha’s naturally overpowering emotional nature, Sakura supposes that his will to live was simply stronger than the seal.

Sakura still wishes he died instead. 

 

“Sakura-san?” 

A quiet voice pulls her from her reverie, effectively reminding her of her current position. 

 

“My apologies,” she states plainly, “I got caught up in the past.” She shakes her head minutely and takes a deep breath. 

“Ultimately, it was the Uchiha’s existence that saved us,” she concedes fairly. “Had he not garnered Orochimaru’s interest, the snake would’ve killed all of us then and there.”

 

Sarutobi frowns, eyes subtly betraying regret and guilt. 

Picking up on this, and not in the mood for the Hokage’s self-pity, Sakura quickly directs the conversation elsewhere. 

 

“I think it’s best that we leave the students as they are for now. I believe our best option is to let Orochimaru think we know nothing; let him sneak into Konoha, let him enter his genin. However, send out a guard to shadow Team Seven. I can give you all of the early signals of Orochimaru’s attack; hell, I could even shadow them myself if you so desire,” she states confidently. 

“You think yourself capable of taking on Orochimaru?” Kakashi asks, breaking his silence from the corner, eyebrow raised. 

Tilting her chin up slightly, she allows herself this moment of pride; even if it’s a bit childish, some part of her always wanted to show  _ this _ time’s Kakashi that she  _ is _ something to be feared and proud of. 

“I’m one of the second-generation Sannin,” she says, eyes flashing with mild defiance. “I can hold him off.”

 

Kakashi blinks, registering this information; his  _ civilian, nobody  _ student became a figure on par with the  _ Sannin _ ? He definitely picked up on her wording - ‘hold him off’ instead of ‘defeat him’, but to even be able to go toe-to-toe with a Sannin -- especially the White Snake -- for any amount of time and  _ survive _ is a feat worthy of praise. 

 

“Yes, speaking of,” the moment is interrupted yet again by the Hokage, “we will need to do a performance test and figure out where to place you in our ranks,” he continues, eyes meeting Sakura’s. “Perhaps a spar? Kakashi, are you free for the rest of the afternoon?”

Sakura’s eyes light up deviously, eyes sliding to Kakashi as he raises a brow in question, eyes somewhat gauging her response, his mind flashing back to the fight on the training grounds as he catalogues everything he knows so far.

 

Sakura, unphased, grins wildly.

  
“A spar sounds  _ excellent _ .” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My computer totally broke, so I’m having to post from my phone. I’m sorry if any weird formatting issues arise, like they did last chapter (I fixed that btw), so please bear with me for now!! I hope you all have enjoyed and continue to enjoy Kyoukasuigetsu!


	4. Blaze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Just want to quickly say hello, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I wrote out two versions of the spar and couldn't decide which I liked best, so I decided to put the second version as a bonus down at the bottom.   
> Just as a warning, when I said the beginning was angst-heavy, this is what I meant, but don't worry! It won't stay this dramatic all the way through (though I can't promise I won't have my moments).   
> Anyways, enjoy! Thank you for all of the kudos and reviews <3

Kakashi regards his grinning student with more than a healthy level of trepidation, fiercely reviewing their last three-second encounter as his mind tries to work out the best strategies in the face of her practically burning gaze. Her eyes are confident, her chin held high, and her grin more than a little menacing.

A bead of sweat runs down his temple.

Amused, the Sandaime clears his throat.

"Well then, let's go, shall we?"

As the three of them make their way out of the building, Sakura speaks up in question.

"Where are you taking us for this spar?" she asks with a bit of suspicion, noting that they seem to be heading in the direction of the Forest of Death.

"I was planning on the Tower," the Third says with a gentle smile. "It has a great view and will be easy to assess your abilities in that controlled environment." A sharp laugh, heavy with amusement, causes him to raise one eyebrow, head turning to regard the girl in question.

"Unless you were planning on demolishing that tower, I suggest you think of somewhere else," she says, throwing him an amused glance. "Kakashi and I have been known to, ah, change the landscape, to put it mildly," she continues, laughter writ on her features, Kakashi now regarding her somehow even _more_ suspiciously _._

Shaking his head, Sarutobi considers pointing out that they _could_ just _hold back_ for once - but knowing Kakashi, and thinking of what little he knows of this brash, ridiculous, fiery Sakura, he simply stays silent and reroutes them to the nearest outdoor training ground.

* * *

_Funny,_ Sakura thinks to herself as she stands yet again in the vast expanse of Training Ground Three. _This is pretty nostalgic._

Kakashi is thinking along the same lines, yet again trying to reconcile the confident woman in front of him with the flimsy, long-haired genin he tested just the other day. Compared to that practically civilian little girl, the young woman before him essentially radiates confidence and pride - one hand on her hip, a smirk playing on her lips. He takes in the bags around her eyes and realizes that her eyes themselves are slightly more dim than they should be - she likely isn't completely recovered, but she's clearly lively enough and her eyes are attentive, sharp, and assessing. He will just have to trust her judgement as a medical ninja.

Now, for the spar - and Kakashi's wariness returns at his own train of thought - he needs to be careful. _Close range would be suicide,_ he thinks. _I need_ distance.

Lifting his hitae-ate, Kakashi's eyes sharpen. He can't afford to slouch against someone who can lay claim to a title as heavy as 'Sannin'.

Sakura's eyes flicker to Kakashi's sharingan, knowing of the constant chakra drain and eye strain. She needs to fix that later; perhaps this evening once she's recovered from their spar. Her appearance remains relaxed and confident; to an extent, this isn't a front- her and Kakashi sparred all of the time, and being on the frontlines for so long granted her skill by necessity if anything else. As one of the second generation Sannin, she knew she could take most shinobi head-on; however, Kakashi was a different breed. It was just timing that pegged Team 7 as the new sannin - had his own team not fallen apart, it's possible they may have done the same in time. Not to mention, she is a close-combat shinobi, whereas Kakashi can flourish at all ranges. She's no slouch, and her Genjutsu is astonishing, but it's still limited against a sharingan and her ranged attacks are mostly focused around chakra-channeling projectiles.

To put it more precisely, she has next to no ninjutsu versus Kakashi knowing over a thousand, and is as good as done for if she can't bring him within her range.

She can't afford to let her guard down for even a second.

Then, all of her thoughts are put on hold at the Sandaime's sharp 'Begin'.

Sakura immediately goes on the offensive, layering genjutsu over herself to make her appear three inches further to the right - subtlety is key when it comes to going undetected. She executes a shunshin, materializing directly in front of Kakashi, leg raised and poised for an axe-kick. Her eyes are a burning jade as she rips her leg down through the air at blinding speeds; unfortunately for her, Kakashi had already glimpsed her taijutsu affinity in their last fight, and thus was immediately prepared to leap back, easily matching her speed. The corner of Sakura's mouth twitches upwards as her eyes flash in the sunlight and her leg makes contact with the ground - the fight has begun.

The Sandaime's eyes widen as the fight unfolds in front of him. Sakura leaves a path of destruction the likes of which he's never _seen_ \- which, considering he taught Tsunade, says the next generation of shinobi will be nothing to scoff at.

Sarutobi himself is almost tempted to hang up the old robes and ask for a spar between them - it would definitely keep him on his toes, he thinks, as he watches Sakura's head-on and precise approach while Kakashi flutters between the treeline and the ground, evasive yet powerful like the lightning he so prizes.

_They're a good match,_ he thinks, relocating to avoid being hit by a tree that has just been thrown across the clearing, bearing Kakashi aloft. Kakashi is fluid and persistent like water with all of the quickness and bite of a lightning strike, while Sakura herself is strong and steady as the earth and dances as the wind that kicks up a maelstrom, fierce and unrelenting.

The two exchange rapid blows in a deadly dance under the scorching spring sun; both of them approaching the end of their spar as the day burns away. To Sarutobi, it seems there's no clear end in sight - that is, until lighting fills the air, and it happens.

Kakashi breathes laboriously, chest aflame after he made the mistake of trusting his Sharingan against Sakura's genjutsu; trusting his own vision without question had led to him being blindsided and punched into a tree so fiercely that he could feel his ribs creak under the strain. Receding into the treeline yet again, he allows a clone to slink out of the shadows and play for time; however, when that clone rockets past him with enough force to dispel it, it's all he can do to think _get out of close range right now-!_ before she is upon him, blows raining down as blue chakra flickers to life on her fingertips. _Chakra scalpels_ , his mind supplies unhelpfully, as Kakashi feels his left arm tingle with three of his fingers failing to respond. He narrows his eyes, taking in his student as she grins fiercely despite a split lip, a hot line of blood across her temple, and an awkward gait (it still impressed him that _mid-fight_ she snapped her own bone back into place - be as it may that her leg clearly wasn't functioning normally, Kakashi has never even heard of a medical-nin with such efficiency during battle). He needs to think of something, and fast. Subtly forming a series of one handed seals, he flickers to the treeline, leaving yet another clone in his place as he prepares his prized jutsu, the sound of a thousand birds piercing through the training grounds.

Sakura smiles viciously, her eyes alight as the blood rushes through her ears and her chest heaves with the exertion and excitement of live combat. On the battlefield, she didn't have time to really think about and appreciate mastery over her own body, or the adrenaline as you constantly shift _just in time_ to live another day. However, sparring against her sensei here, safe (well, relatively) in Konoha, she doesn't think she can be more elated if she wants to be. Unfortunately, none of this can distract her from the fact that her constant layering of genjutsu, chakra scalpels, and even the small fraction of her monstrous strength are all taking too much out of her. _I must not be completely recovered,_ she realizes as she drops beneath a kick, retaliating with a deft sweep-kick of her own, dispelling the second clone of the day and turning towards her _real_ sensei. It doesn't take a genius to realize the second that he replaces himself with yet another clone - it does, however, take one Sakura to flicker over and lift him like a toy, pulling him back and launching him past his human counterpart at speeds fast enough to make him dispel in a cloud of smoke. _Finally,_ she thinks with a fierce grin, dashing forward at full speeds. _You're_ mine. Lost in the haze of blows, exhaustion beginning to weigh down on her, and still caught up in the buzz of finally roping her sensei into a battle she _knew_ she could win - she didn't notice the familiar flash of lightning until it was too late.

Taking aim, Kakashi steps out from the trees and dashes towards his student at an impossible speed, breath steady and his body primed for her inevitable counterattack. When he notices that she's stopped moving altogether and is staring at him with wide eyes that don't seem to be focused here nor there, he realizes with a mental start that he's moving too fast to stop and _she isn't moving_. When his hand slides through her abdominal cavity like a knife through butter, he immediately cancels the jutsu and can only stare, half expecting another genjutsu and mind racing through how fast they can get a medical ninja when a surprise attack doesn't come. _Shit._

Sakura hears it and freezes. Her eyes flash with fear as she registers the shrill shriek of Chidori, her mind instantly shutting down logical thought and plunging her into a memory. When she turns and looks, the Chidori isn't wielded by her trusted sensei, but by a raven-haired madman. Sakura can only internally screech _he's going to kill you, get out of the way get out of the way get out - !_ before his ice cold hands plunge into her body, tearing through flesh, muscle, and internal organs, barely missing her spine, and bursting through her back like a skewer. She grabs the arm lodged inside of her, meeting the burning, blood-red (concerned, charcoal grey) eyes of her former teammate (sensei).

"Sasuke!" She all but hisses through her teeth as she applies enough force to the arm to crush bone, the hand inside of her flickering to life with yet more lightning chakra as she _screams_ and it burns through her body like fire, blood splattering beneath her.

"-s me," she hears in the distance between the haze, Sasuke's arm making like a blade and slicing through her right side.

"It's me!" the voice calls again, Sasuke's form retreating with cackling laughter.

"Sakura! It's _me!_ "

_Kakashi? What…?_ And then, it comes back. _Shit_. Looking up from her surprisingly _not_ -nearly-severed body, she meets the frantic eyes of Kakashi as she registers the chakra of the Sandaime rapidly approaching them from her right side. Still wrapped up in the shock of her memories, she looks down yet again, taking Kakashi's arm and ripping it out of her abdominal region, shoving him back ungracefully. She can apologize later, right now she needs to stop herself from bleeding out rather unceremoniously. A dramatic death is great in fiction, but Sakura still has things to do and she is not going to let 'Spar' be written down as her cause of death.

Staggering backwards, she manifests her Seal for the first time since coming back, not trusting her control amidst her exhaustion and shaken emotional state. Using the excess of chakra, she begins to stitch her internal organs back together before lacing together her muscles and reattaching skin, finally directing that chakra back to her forehead to reforge the seal. Absently she realizes she probably could've done with sending some medical chakra to her head for the absolute killer headache she was expecting any minute now, but she's had worse. _Much_ worse.

Kakashi watches in a stunned silence, his cracked right arm throbbing painfully as he processes what just happened.

_Sasuke_. One word, gritted out between clenched teeth, spiked with fear and braided with betrayal. Sakura wasn't in the present, but just where the hell _was_ she? He grimaces as he remembers the strength with which she gripped his arm, nearly crushing it - yet what surprised him further was her scream when he _didn't do anything_. What the hell was going on in her mind? He called out to her for several seconds, trying to bring her back to the present before she _destroyed_ his arm. He realized the exact moment she was herself again, jade eyes flickering up to meet his briefly, flashing in recognition yet hard with the pain of… whatever it was that just happened. She shoved him back rather painfully, forcing his arm out and thus breaking the dam and ultimately splattering blood everywhere, but what surprised him even further was when a deep blue seal appeared on her forehead as her body started to stitch itself back together.

As she finishes healing, her seal fading yet again into nonexistence, she meets his eyes with an apology, and Kakashi can only ask one thing.

"What the _fuck_ just happened?"

Sakura heaves a sigh, stepping deftly over to Kakashi before stopping in front of him and holding out her hand. At Kakashi's somewhat bewildered stare, she simply clarifies "Your arm, please," before she gently grabs the injured limb and makes to heal her sensei. Surprised, Kakashi begins to pull back, ready to demand that she not distract him from the issue at hand and instead fill him in immediately.

"I'm not going to avoid you," she says, an exhaustion that isn't entirely physical tinging her words, "but I do need to heal your arm as soon as possible before that damage becomes permanent."

Kakashi blinks, considers his students pleading and apologetic eyes, and relents - he has a feeling he'll always crumple like wet paper when his students give him that look, but he can worry about that later. Now, as the both of them take a seat on the forest floor and Sakura's soothing healing chakra envelops his damaged right arm, he needs to worry about the present, and figure out just what is wrong with Sakura and why she didn't evade his attack.

"So," he begins, trying to sound authoritative - yet only managing an awkward and uneasy tone.

"So," she laughs, shaking her head. Inhaling deeply through her nose, as if steeling herself, she begins.

"I'm sorry about your arm," she says gently, "and I'm sorry that you had to see that. It wouldn't - I'm not normally like that." A frustrated sigh escapes her lips, an exhaustion that isn't entirely physical weighing on her words. "That's not really happened like that before."

Kakashi narrows his eyes minutely. 'Happened like that', she said. Meaning it had happened before. However, having calmed down from the initial thought that she would avoid him, he realizes that now isn't the time to demand answers.

"Well, in fairness to you, it isn't like there's a guidebook to the sort of emotional and physical exhaustion that comes with traveling through time," Kakashi concedes fairly, trying to offer comfort and support in a field he's never fully tested his capabilities for.

This makes Sakura laugh, a _true_ laugh this time, as through her mild fatigue she feels the soft regard of her Sensei.

"I wish it did," she says, her smile smaller, yet still present on her features.

Another pregnant silence permeates the space as the Sandaime hovers tactfully out of hearing range, likely giving them space to talk about… whatever it was that just happened.

Sakura, clearly not going to be the one to open the discussion, remains pointedly silent. Kakashi narrows his eyes.

"You know, no matter how much you heal that arm, you can't get out of this discussion," he says, gentle yet firm.

Sakura mutters something under her breath, Kakashi definitely hearing a quiet "just watch me".

"And yet, you're still here," he challenges, expression deadpan as his student's eyes meet his own with more than a little annoyance.

"I suppose I am," she relents, finishing up her healing on his right arm and moving on to his incapacitated left hand. "It doesn't make it any easier to figure out where to begin," she sighs, finishing up her work and running a hand through her rough hair.

Kakashi watches as his student shifts her weight back, drawing up one knee and resting an arm on it, as her other arm supported the rest of her weight.

"It's…. Complicated."

"Well, how about we start with why you practically hissed the name 'Sasuke' after I _impaled_ you," Kakashi says, internally wincing as Sakura's eyes darken, her exhaustion briefly replaced with something twisted and ugly.

"Sasuke… my Sasuke, future Sasuke, is…" she begins abstractly, struggling to find the right words. She doesn't want to hurt Kakashi, but she knows he would want the truth. She owes him that much; she decides that today, honesty comes before anything else.

"He's a missing-nin," she finishes quietly, glancing at Kakashi out of the corner of her eye. Before she can read his response and use it as an excuse to back out of the conversation, she barrels on.

"He defected shortly after the Chuunin exams. For a time, Naruto and I gave everything to bringing him back, but by the time we could even do anything, he was too far gone. He became one of the major figures in the Fourth Shinobi World War. He himself razed the last standing streets of Konoha, and for all I know, he's the reason I'm even here. The last thing I saw from my time was his Chidori colliding with one of my attacks," she finishes, conflicted about dumping all of this on the teacher who may blame himself, but also recognizing that Kakashi _needed_ to understand, to brace him for what was yet to come and what had to be done.

Chancing another look at Kakashi, Sakura sees him regarding her with an even gaze, as if waiting for more. She can see the undercurrent of guilt, but more than anything else, she finds a quiet yet strong determination to avoid history repeating itself.

"Is that why _my_ chidori made you react in such a way?" he asks, eyes flashing in a way that tell Sakura that he didn't miss the immediate stiffening in her posture as the question fell from his lips.

"Kakashi, you really don't need to know," she says, ignoring the way her gut twists as his eyes harden.

"Yes, I think I do," he challenges, outwardly demanding but internally guilty; heavy with the knowledge that he had failed to help Sasuke, he knows he can at least learn everything he can in order to prevent the future from repeating itself.

Sakura, knowing that once Kakashi wanted to know something he would stop at _nothing_ until he had answers, knew she had no choice but to relent. _Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it,_ she thinks bitterly, the things that need to be said leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

Kakashi, knowing he's won, simply stares expectantly, practically daring Sakura to run from this conversation.

Annoyed, Sakura turns sharply towards Kakashi, eyebrows furrowing.

"In telling you this, I expect you to _not_ ask about it again. I'm going to tell you because I think you deserve to know, but don't expect me to tell you things on-demand every time something like this happens," she grits out through her teeth, knowing she may be being unfair yet resolved in her decision all the same.

Kakashi nods, nearly imperceptibly, thankful that despite knowing she could just as easily _not_ tell him, she is relenting because she feels he deserves to be involved. Not only that, but she seems genuinely sympathetic, despite her outward irritation.

At Kakashi's nod, Sakura raises a hand to her head, smoothes out her features, and again relaxes.

"It was a few years ago," she says quietly. "Naruto and I had gone to confront Sasuke and try to bring him back home." A bitter sigh leaves her mouth. "We didn't understand it at the time, but he was already too far gone - too out of our reach. Unfortunately, it was only when he got his hands on me the first time that we realized he wasn't our Sasuke anymore. You don't need to know the details, and to be frank, I don't want to share them - but endgame, he came at me with his Chidori, I ended up nearly severed in half. That was the day the remnants of Team 7 finally gave up on Sasuke," she cut out, her face remaining impassive, but her eyes and tone of voice telling a different, less tangible story.

Kakashi breathes steadily as he takes in the woman in front of him, her words settling in with a weight he hasn't felt in a long, long time. This gave him more to think about than he's had in years. Sasuke, Sakura, even Naruto - he knows that he failed them, and would have certainly failed them again had Sakura not come back to the past. Now, however, they've got a fighting chance. From what he's seen, Sakura is fierce, loyal, and kind, and aside from mentions of Sasuke, she's shown nothing but love and pride for everyone and everything in the village; he doesn't know what kind of relationship they had in her past, but for now, Kakashi will let himself hope that this time around, they could work together to protect the bonds of Team Seven and the Village that they would both die for.

"Well, at least that shouldn't happen again, unless we both turn out to be monumental failures," he offered lightly, trying to bring humor back into the mood and let her know that he wouldn't hold this against her.

Sakura let out a snort.

"I would certainly hope the fuck not," she says, fire back in her expression. "If this training ground says anything about what we'd do to the battlefield, we'll definitely be a force to be reckoned with."

"I would say you already are."

The kind voice of the Sandaime carries through the trees as he flickers into view, having sensed the end of their conversation.

"Now," he says, eyes conveying pride as if he knew that his two Shinobi just grew slightly closer, "Let's get back to my office, and we can discuss your placement in our ranks," he finishes as his eyes linger on raven-black hair.

Sakura quickly rises and dusts off her knees, holding out her hand to help Kakashi stand; Kakashi raises an eyebrow at this, but otherwise accepts her help without question. When the soreness in his legs hits him, he immediately sends a grateful look her way as the three of them begin the trek to the Hokage Tower.

"Well, I think we can conclude that that was a rather _interesting_ spar," the Sandaime begins from the seat at his desk, gazing out as his two shinobi stand somewhat uncomfortably, likely still tired from the exertion of the spar. Allowing himself a moment to let them sit in anticipation - he always secretly loved the dramatics - he finally speaks up.

"Sakura Haruno," he says at last, straightening his spine and injecting authority into his words with the ease of experience.

"From my thorough observations of the spar between yourself and Kakashi Hatake, I now officially reinstate you as a Jounin of Konoha. May the will of fire burn fiercely within you."

Sakura bows deeply, accepting the Jounin flak jacket presented to her by one of the Hokage's guards.

Kakashi looks on with renewed pride for the only girl on his team. She has really grown into quite a woman; despite not having the slightest clue what is going on in that head of hers, and despite only knowing of her existence for a few days, he knows she has done and will do great things. Konoha's future is uncertain, but with her, they can work towards building the best future possible.

Sakura takes the familiar vest into her hands, her head reeling yet again with the weight of her responsibility. _Konoha's future - Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, even Sasuke - it's all in my hands._

The thought threatens to overwhelm her, but she shuts it down and chains it in the cage of her mind - there but not overwhelming in its strength. She would do this. She _would_ save them.

"Thank you, Hokage-Sama. I won't let you down," she says with conviction, eyes determined.

_I won't let any of you down, ever again._

 

* * *

**_Bonus: Spar V2_ **

Sakura immediately goes on the offensive - she executes a shunshin, materializing directly in front of Kakashi, leg raised and poised for an axe-kick. Her eyes are a burning jade as she rips her leg down through the air at blinding speeds; unfortunately for her, Kakashi had already glimpsed her taijutsu affinity in their last fight, and thus was immediately prepared to leap back, easily matching her speed. The corner of Sakura's mouth twitches upwards as her eyes flash in the sunlight and her leg makes contact with the ground - the fight has begun.

Kakashi's eyes widen minutely at the scale of destruction before him. Having seen Tsunade in action, he's seen some massive impact craters, but never before has he seen the earth _rip apart in what was easily a half-mile radius_. And that was her _opening attack._ Eyes briefly regarding his student with pride, he yet again shuts down his thoughts on the matter and throws himself into the trees, eager to push her limits. Thinking quickly, his hands are a blur as he readies himself for the most basic Katon jutsu, pushing into the fireball enough chakra to make it an inferno.

Sakura eyes the blaze cutting through the treeline, pushing her hand into the solid ground and ripping up a defensive wall. She can feel the force as the attack hits; the slab of earth begins to hiss and crack as she produces a perfect clone image of herself, sliding into the ground and beginning a modified Headhunter jutsu, hurriedly seeking out Kakashi's chakra.

_There,_ she thinks, her senses zoning into a spot up in a tree approximately forty-five degrees to her right. Masking her chakra, she rises from the earth in a predatory crouch before suddenly standing and gripping the tree, ripping it from the earth and launching it into the clearing with a fierce roar.

Kakashi finds himself surprised for the first time in many years as the tree he sheltered in was tossed like a toy across an entire field. That wasn't the surprising part, however; it was the fact that until she literally _yelled_ he had no idea she was even _there_ , right underneath him. Back in the present, he deftly maneuvers from the tree, tossing himself to the side; chancing a look behind him as he falls, he sees a mass of pink getting suspiciously bigger at speeds Kakashi isn't sure he's comfortable with. Summoning a shadow clone, he pulls himself out of the way, leaving the clone to engage in combat to buy himself time.

He knows he can't risk sinking into the ground - what with her ridiculous earth shattering strength _he'd_ end up trapped - so he creates another clone as he pulls out a string of kunai and sharp wire, yet again retreating to the treeline.

Sakura, on her end, is fiercely layering genjutsu over genjutsu, ensuring her appearance is _just_ further to the right, slightly back - just slightly 'not-there' enough to secure her safety among the countless projectiles being thrown her way. Kakashi's clones, for their part, notice her deception quickly, experimenting with their aim to discover Sakura's true positioning.

Sakura, however, did not fail to notice the real Kakashi shifting about the trees to her right; likely laying a tricky trap that she wants absolutely no part of. Deciding to take the fight to him, she tosses two kunai in the air, gluing them to her feet with chakra as she braces her weight upon the ground with her hands, swinging her legs in a wide arc and launching the sharp knives to either clone with enough force to pass through a boulder.

Before the soft 'whoosh' of the dispelling shadow clones can reach her ears, she takes to the treeline, ferociously lashing out with her limbs as she fells tree after tree.

Kakashi, having foreseen that his clones wouldn't last long in any type of non-ninjutsu engagement, is ready for her. Carefully taking aim, he releases his lashed-together kunai in a quick and true horizontal line. Manipulating the wire with his chakra, he forces the kunai to circle her, quickly flicking his wrists forward to entrap her in a bloody net. Expecting a substitution on her part, Kakashi quickly drops to the ground, grabbing one end of his wire to set ablaze the line of kunai laced throughout the trees. He is quite alarmed, however, when instead of the thud of kunai on wood, he smells the sharp tang of blood and hears a muffled grunt of pain. His eyes widen as he takes in the clear image of his student pierced with many of his kunai and covered in blood, his grip on his own wire loosening. He makes to help her, his sharingan immediately perceiving the image as real; which would explain his utter shock when he is suddenly launched sideways into a tree so viciously that he hears his ribs crack with the strain. Eyes widening yet again, his head turns just in time to visibly note the kunai flying at him, his battle-honed reflexes kicking in _just_ soon enough for him to not be either permanently blinded or dead as Sakura continues to charge at him, her fingers flickering to life with blue chakra. _Chakra scalpels,_ his mind supplies hazily, still recovering from the brief shock of a genjutsu that could trick even his sharingan. Before he could think beyond his surprise to form a strategy outside of _get out of close range right now!_ , she is upon him, the fight now boiling down to basic, instinctual Taijutsu.

Sakura grins between their flurry of blows, ignoring her rapidly approaching exhaustion ( _I must not be fully recovered,_ she realizes), deflecting kicks, taking punches, and dishing out attacks of her own in a deadly dance between teacher and student. She always loved sparring with Kakashi the best; their styles have always been a good match - hers being direct and precise enough to keep up, yet sheerly brutal and head-on enough to catch him unaware; his being fluid like water, forcing her to think on her feet and adapt. They've always been a good pair, and she's positively giddy at the simple fact that he's _alive_ to spar with her. She is quickly gaining the upper hand - taijutsu is her specialty, after all - yet her mind is drifting elsewhere, her body acting only on instinct; therefore she doesn't quite fully register the sound of a thousand birds coming from the treetops until it's too late.

Kakashi had begun to notice many things about his student's mentality and style throughout this spar. As for her style, he notes that she'll make an excellent sparring partner; it's been a long time since someone in the village has been able to keep up with him, and they'll likely complement each other quite well both on and off the field.

However, he has also noticed by this time that her mind isn't quite with the fight anymore, seemingly lost in her thoughts as her instincts clearly take over, her encroaching exhaustion likely meaning the end of the spar is near. Therefore, it isn't all that hard for him to sneak a shadow clone in his place and fall back to the trees yet again, summoning his prized original jutsu. Taking aim, he steps out from the trees and dashes towards her at an impossible speed, breath steady and his body primed for her inevitable counterattack. When he notices that she's stopped moving altogether and is staring at him with wide eyes that don't seem to be focused here nor there, he realizes with a mental start that he's moving too fast to stop and _she isn't moving_. When his hand slides through her abdominal cavity like a knife through butter, he immediately cancels the jutsu and can only stare, half expecting another genjutsu and mind racing through how fast they can get a medical ninja when a surprise attack doesn't come. _Shit._

Sakura hears it and freezes. Her eyes flash with fear as she registers the shrill shriek of Chidori, her mind instantly shutting down logical thought and plunging her into a memory. When she turns and looks, the Chidori isn't wielded by her trusted sensei, but by a raven-haired madman. Sakura can only internally screech _he's going to kill you, get out of the way get out of the way get out - !_ before his ice cold hands plunge into her body, tearing through flesh, muscle, and internal organs, barely missing her spine, and bursting through her back like a skewer. She grabs the arm lodged inside of her, meeting the burning, blood-red (concerned, charcoal grey) eyes of her former teammate (sensei).

"Sasuke!" She all but hisses through her teeth as she applies enough force to the arm to crush bone, the hand inside of her flickering to life with yet more lightning chakra as she _screamed_ and it burned through her body like fire, blood splattering beneath her.

"-s me," she hears in the distance between the haze, Sasuke's arm making like a blade and slicing through her right side.

"It's me!" the voice called again, Sasuke's form retreating with cackling laughter.

"Sakura! It's _me!_ "

_Kakashi? What…?_ And then, it comes back. _Shit_. Looking up from her surprisingly _not_ -nearly-severed body, she meets the frantic eyes of Kakashi as she registers the chakra of the Sandaime rapidly approaching them from her right side. Still wrapped up in the shock of her memories, she looks down yet again, taking Kakashi's arm and ripping it out of her abdominal region, shoving him back ungracefully. She can apologize later, right now she needs to stop herself from bleeding out rather unceremoniously. A dramatic death is great in fiction, but Sakura still has things to do and she is not going to let 'Spar' be written down as her cause of death.

Staggering backwards, she manifests her Seal for the first time since coming back, not trusting her control amidst her exhaustion and shaken emotional state. Using the excess of chakra, she begins to stitch her internal organs back together before lacing together her muscles and reattaching skin, finally directing that chakra back to her forehead to reforge the seal. Absently she realizes she probably could've done with sending some medical chakra to her head for the absolute killer headache she was expecting any minute now, but she's had worse. _Much_ worse.

Kakashi watches in a stunned silence, his cracked right arm throbbing painfully as he processes what just happened.

_Sasuke_. One word, gritted out between clenched teeth, spiked with fear and braided with betrayal. Sakura wasn't in the present, but just where the hell _was_ she? He grimaces as he remembers the strength with which she gripped his arm, nearly crushing it - yet what surprised him further was her scream when he _didn't do anything_. What the hell was going on in her mind? He called out to her for several seconds, trying to bring her back to the present before she _destroyed_ his arm. He realized the exact moment she was herself again, jade eyes flickering up to meet his briefly, flashing in recognition yet hard with the pain of… whatever it was that just happened. She shoved him back rather painfully, forcing his arm out and thus breaking the dam and ultimately splattering blood everywhere, but what surprised him even further was when a deep blue seal appeared on her forehead as her body started to stitch itself back together.

As she finishes healing, her seal fading yet again into nonexistence, she meets his eyes with an apology, and Kakashi can only ask one thing.

"What the _fuck_ just happened?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight so that was that chapter! Which version of the fight did you like more? Please let me know! I hope I didn't disappoint you. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Alright, so, super short chapter. Honestly I’m not really happy with it but it’s been sitting in my files for damn near a year and I figured it was time to test it out, see how it was received, and if everyone hated it, it was time to put it to bed. So I guess this is that.  
> Let me know what you think about it, if you want me to continue, what I did wrong (my only request is please don’t comment “FUCKING EVERYTHING” but other than that it’s fair game).  
> Also as for the timeline, this is sort of a slight AU I suppose. In case I decide to keep going, I don’t want to give away too many spoilers - but this universe is slightly more realistic in some ways and I’ve taken a few liberties in canon. Namely, Sakura wasn’t a whiny little bitch clinging to Sasuke all through Shippuuden and actually got to see some character development. Don’t get me wrong, she’s one of my favorite characters - but her development was seriously lacking and she made me roll my eyes due to the sheer stupidity of her actions many times. 
> 
> Anyways, enough about that. I’ll leave this for now and see if anyone reads it, and if you do, please review! I want to hear the good AND the bad.  
> Bye for now!
> 
> -Xweeti


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